13 Tshwane metro cops facing graft charges granted bail

The 13 Tshwane metro police officers arrested on charges of corruption and malfeasance were all granted bail when they appeared in court on Tuesday, 11 August.

Metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said the bail amounts for eight of the officers who appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court ranged between R1,500 – R2,000.

Meanwhile, bail for the five others who appeared in the Temba Magistrate’s Court ranged between R2,000-R5,000.

“All of their cases were postponed for further investigation,” he said.

Of the eight officers who appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, six were expected back in the dock on 28 September, while the other two were due to appear on 13 October.

All five of the officers who appeared in the Temba Magistrate’s Court were expected back in the dock on 15 October.

The officers, aged between 32 and 57, were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation to root out corruption in various law enforcement agencies by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).

Their arrests were executed between Friday and Saturday.

“They will now be issued with letters notifying them of the intention to suspend them. Once received, the officers would have seven days within which they could make representations against their suspensions.

“If the officers did not make representations, they would then be suspended,” said Mahamba.

On Monday, Mahamba said the possibility of more arrests could not be ruled out as investigations in the operation were continuing.

“Members who perform their duties with honesty and integrity are encouraged to continue to do so and those who are involved in corrupt activities should stop immediately,” said Mahamba.

The arrests of the officers were welcomed by the both the Tshwane chief of police Johanna Nkomo and the metro’s administrator for compliance Lebogang More.

RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said the investigation was initiated after numerous members of the public expressed their dissatisfaction with the allegedly unprofessional conduct of some officers.

“A strong message needs to be sent out indicating that corruption destroys lives and it will not be tolerated within the law enforcement fraternity.”

Zwane said investigators who were involved in Operation Bunny were “ready, able and willing to assist the metro in the disciplinary process which will assist in restoring the ethical and professional conduct of its officers”.

The operation which spanned over 18 months was initiated by the RTMC’s national traffic anti-corruption unit.

This article first appeared on Rekord East and was republished with permission.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.